Change speed gear mechanism



N0v.29, 1932. R Ruy 1,889,700-

CHANGE SPEED GEAR MECHANISM Filed March 5, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 P fatiguant ero {7m54- y' zllorneys Nov. 29, 1932. P. RM. l 1,889,700

CHANGE SPEED GEAR MECHANISM Filed Maron 3, 1932 2 sheets-sheet 2 5 Q E V l) nvenr 676 y mgm Patented Nov. 29, 1932` PERCY RILEY, or oovEN'rn-, 4niaefrinivn CHANGE SPEED GEAR- MEG-IANISM'.

Application med Marci. a, i932, sei-iai 1ro. seater, andl in Great Britain August 27, `1931A.

This invention relates to change-speed gear mechanisms and particularly to the kind having coaxial driving and driven shafts, which can be slidably clutched directly together, or

'5 indirectly through a parallel la-ysliaft and two constant-mesh gear pairs, to' give two speeds, say, top speed and next speed, and a gear pair, for' another speed, usuallya lower speed, of which one gear is slida'ble into andY l' out of mesh with the other.

The chief object of the invention is to' provide an arrangement of this kindin which, when all the gears have helical teeth, toensure silent running, the end thrust will be strikingl forks. .K l n The invention.involvesvarious improvements which are specifically-pointed out in the claims, the nature of these improvements being hereinafter described in connection with the accompanying` drawings.

According to one feature of the invention, the sli'dable gear, which is mounted on the driven shaft directly or indirectly,has a helical keyed or like Connection therewith, while the slidable clutching member. has a longi-` tudinal keyed or likevconnection with the driven shaft. No claim is made alone to mounting a slidable helically-toothed gear on V30 a: helically-splined shaft.

The invention is further particularly applicable to change-speed gear mechanism of the kind having a double-ended clutch sleeve which is slidable on the driven' shaft to lock 35 the latter t0 the driving shaft for the top speed or to a loose gear on the driven shaft for the next speed, and which carries upon it the slidable gear, and the invention further involves providing a slot in the sleeve through driventshaft, slidable clutch sleeve and slid- 50 able gear apartfrom one another, and

self-contained withregard to the layshaft and Figure is an elevationlofthe gears, corresponding to Figure l, withV the striking forks omittedand the intermediate or reverse shaft shown-,out of place.`V I l Like numerals indicate like parts throughout the drawings. y K n rlhe accompanying drawings show onefar'- Yran-gement according to the lpresent invention applied to a change-speed gear' mechanisinfo'f the kind described in BritishPatent specifi- 60 cation No. 257,413,- in respec-twhereof I am the patentee.

As illustrated, the splined connection be'- tween the double-ended'dog clutch sleeve 2 andl the drivenj shaft 3 takes the form of a longitudinal slot l in the sleeve, or' more than one, two being here shown, and a corresponding longitudinal key 5 or keys oi'ithediiven shaft extending into theslot or slots'. Each key isY of suhcient width, where' it rises clear .H of the sleeve,to have formed on its extremity av helical or inclined key portion 6 which engages a co rfrespondingv internal inclined lslot on the slidable gear 8 and thus' provides a driving connection between'the fatter gear ,and the driven shaft. `It would not be satisfactory'to form' the helical spline Iorzthe gear 8 on the clutch sleeve, as when thev drive was being' taken through vthe gear 8 an end thrust would be applied tothe clutchI sleeve; 80 n Int practice the` driven shaft is preferably formed with' an enlarged section )vlierej the double keys are, sothaft a smallZ number of large keyswillsulfice forftaking the torque. @n each` side ofi the keys at 9:', 9 the' enlarged portion' of the driven` shaft is machined to support' the,"sleeve.` The latter" is alsoniachined tojsup'port theislidable gear,` VIn the arrangement villustratedall the teeth ofthe gearvvh'eel's are assumed to'behelical, those of tlielayshaft gears'beingalliinolined A inthersame direction.v VVhen runniiigli'n top speedfn'o end thrust is introduced as the load is transmittedfdirect",through the dog'slllf In the next' speed, vwhere' the drivei isftaken V5 throughV twoconstant-rnesh gear pairs" lili,4 lf2 by wayefthe lay'sliaftjldand thedogs'v lill,v thev end thrusts" on the ivlays'h'aft are' opposed. Y When the' :drive taken through the` next speed bywa'y ofthe ge'arpaii" 111, tliel'geardoo 'Y 15 fast on the layshaft, and the slidable gear 8, the thrusts on the layshaft are again opposed and those on the gear 8 substantially alanced out, the helical key 6 on the driven shaft being arranged to ensure this. Obviously in top speed or next speed there are no end thrusts on the clutch .sleeve oivn g to its having a longitudinal splined connection With the driven shaft.

The benefit of the invention is also obtained in four-speed gear mechanisms of the kind Where the slidable gear 8 is a double one (8, 16), as illustrated, the parts of Which are adapted selectively to engage two different spaced gears 15, 17, respectively, fast on the layshaft. Obviously, to ensure that the end thrusts on each of the gears 8, 16 are balanced, the helix angle of the -teeth of the larger yvheel (8) Will be slightlyless than the helix angle of the smaller Wheel' (16) for a given helical key 6.

The reverse drive is preferably takenfrom a helically-toothed: gear 18 fast on the layshaft to one 19 fast on an intermediate shaft 2O Which carries through helical splines E21 a helically-toothed gear 22 slidable into and out of engagement with the sliding gear or one of the sliding gears, the larger one 8 in this case, on the driven shaft. The gear 18 on the layshaft preferably hasr its teeth arranged similarly to those of the other layshaft gearsso that the end thrusts on the layshaft Will still be opposed. The tivo gears on the intermediate shaft have their Jteeth arranged in opposite directions, and as the helical splines 21 are arranged so that the end thrusts on the slidable gear 22 will be balanced, the end thrusts applied to the intermediate shaft by the gear 19 and the splines 21 Will not be opposed.

The unbalanced end thrusts on' the driving and Vdriven shafts and on the intermediate shaft 20, and the resultant end thrust, if any, on the layshaft, will, of course, be rtaken care of by the'V appropriate bearings in the casing.

- It Will be seen that, by means of the in-l a gear box Which is very quiet at all vention, speeds can be provided, and the end thrusts due to-the use of helical teeth are opposed as regards the layshaft and the striking forks, so that Wear Will be reduced. No special `provision will have to be made for holding the gear lever in the different gear positions. A What I claim as my invention and desire-y to 'secure by Letters Patent ofthe United States is z-g 1. In change speedgear mechanism, a

' driven shaft, a clutch sleeve on they shaft and having` longitudinal splined slots therein,

spline keys carried by the driven shaft and having longitudinal portions slidably engaging in said slots of the sleeve to `interlock the driven shaft and the sleeve for turning together, a gear slidably mounted on the sleeve and having internal helical spline slots, said keys having outer end helical splines proj ect; ing through the slots of the sleeve and engaging the helical slots Within the gear for directly engaging the gear and the driven shaft independently of the clutch sleeve.

2. In change speed gear mechanism, a shaft havingY radial keys thereon, each key having an inner longitudinal spline and an outer helical spline extending beyond the longitudinal spline, a `clutch sleeve slidably mounted on the shaft and having longitudinal splineslots therein for'receiving said keys therethrough and with the longitudinal splines engaging the edges .of the slots for interlocking the sleeve With the shaft, and a gear yslidably mounted on the sleeve and having internal helical spline slots adapted to receivetherein the helical splines of the shaft, a sleeve on said. shaft, a gear on said sleeve, said sleeve and gear disposed concentrically upon the shaft and the sleeve having a longitudinal splined slot therein and the gear having ra helical internal slot therein adapted to register with the slot of the sleeve, said shaft having a key projecting radially therefrom through said slot in the sleeve and into the slot of the gear, said key having a longitudinal splined portion to engage the sleeve and an outwardly Vprojecting helical splined portion to engage the gear whereby to independently connect the sleeve and the gear to the shaft and admit of the independent movement of the gear and the sleeve on the shaft. n

4. In change speed gear mechanism, a shaft,` a clutch sleeve on the shaft, a slidable change speed gear mounted on the sleeve, and

Adirect connections between the sleeve and the Y name to this specification.

rnncvv RILEY. 

